Gear-case for bicycles



No. 6l3,469. Patented Nov. I898.

R. BAMSAY.

GEAR CASE FOR B'IGYQLESV.

(Application filed Feb. 19, 1898.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: F1; 4 -INVENTOJR ATTORN EY THE uonms'wzrzns co pkmouyno WASHINGTON, n. c.

- NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT RAMSAY, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

G EAR-CASE FOR BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,469, dated November -1, 1898. Application filed February 19, 1893. Serial No. 670,935. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ROBERT RAMsAY, acitizen of Great Britain, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gear-Cases for Bicycles; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full, 7

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bicycle gear-cases; and it consists, substantially, in the improved features of the construction thereof hereinafter set forth'and explained, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view in elevation of my improved gear-case on a bicycle. Fig. 2 is a View in elevation of the rear portion thereof. Fig. 3 is a View of the back side of the sections of the forward portion thereof. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the forward portion of the gear-case on the line ac, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the lower portion of the forward part of the gear-case, showing the connection of the chain-tube therewith. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the rings for securing the chain-tubes into the forward portion of the gear-case. I 1 i I In the drawings, A is the rear wheel, B a portion of the frame, 0 the crank-shaft, and D the cranks, of a bicycle of ordinary construction.

. 0n the end of the crank-shaft hanger I clamp together by means of bolts (not shown) passing through ears e e on the back thereof the sections E E of the forward portion of the gear-case, which sections entirely embrace the sprocket-wheel on the crank-shaft 'C. On the back side of the section E there is also a loop (2, which clamps around the horizontal bar of the frame, so as to hold said section firmly in place. The joint between the sections E and E is curved, and the front section is provided with flanges e c on both sides thereof which when the sections are placed together embrace the edges a e of the rear section E and interlock therewith, so as to form dust-tight joints therewith, and the extreme ends 6 e of the section E pass into the rear of the sleeves e e on the section E, in which the front ends of chain-tubes F F are secured, as hereinafter described. By means of this construction loan at any time remove the bolts passing through the ears 6 e and remove the front section E of the case, so as to leave about three-fourths of the circumference of the sprocket wheel and the chain thereon exposed for examination, the loop e meanwhile holding the section E firmly in place.

For securing the front end of the flexible chain-tube F into the section E, Iprovide the sleeve c", bolted onto the end of the sleeve e and which tapers outward from its outer end inward, so that the end of the flexible tube F is clamped between an internal ring G, (see Fig. 6,) as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5, and for securing the forward end of the tube F to the front section E a sleeve a integral therewith, is provided with an internal taper and internal ring G, the same as before de* scribed, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The rear portion of the gear-case consists of two sections H and H, divided vertically and adapted to inclose the rear sprocket-wheel and chain thereon. These sections are hinged together at the bottom of the joint by a hinge H and are provided with ears H at the top, through which a bolt I passes to clamp these sections H 11 together, and by removing the bolt I the rear section H can be thrown back, as shown in dotted lines, to get access to the sprocket-wheel and chain thereon.

On the front of the section H there are sleeves h h the outsides of which are tapered outward toward their ends and over which the rear ends of the flexible chain-tubes F and F pass and to which they are secured by means of external tapering rings J J as illus trated in Fig. 2, so that'the front cases E E, the flexible tubes F F, and the rear cases H closing the sprockets and chain, yet allowing them to be quickly and conveniently in- II form a continuous inclosure, entirely in spected by removing a comparatively small portion of the gear-case,which can be speedily done and replaced by any one.

For oiling the sprockets and chain I have provided an opening in the rear side of the section E, which is closed by a screw-cap K, through which oil can be supplied for lubricating the parts of the gearing.

Having thus described my invention so as to enable others to construct and use the same, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s-

In a bicycle gear-case, the combination,with a case-section E provided with openings for the chain on its rear side, said section being open at top, bottom and front side; of means for permanently securing the said section to the bicycle-frame; a removable case-section 

